«I admire the courage he had to fight against the system, using his talent and music as a weapon.»

V-Monkeys, MTV Awards 1992

INSPIRATION

At the end of the 80’s a kind of Institutional incompetence led to several political crises, mostly affecting the United States. Moreover emerging technology made handheld devices available while exposure to music television brought different cultures into daily life. This period marks the emergence of the so-called Generation X and the birth of ‘Urban tribe’ culture. Gen Xers were pushed toward adulthood, forced to spend less time with their parents. They were home alone, taking care of themselves and their siblings. Autonomy and self-reliance attitude led young people find and receive emotional support more likely from friends than family and committed relationships, creating a sort of ‘Urban tribe’. Uncertainty of the future and confusion related to developing meaningful intimacy often caused depression and anxiety, giving rise to alcool and drug abuse. A talented yet troubled grunge performer, Kurt Cobain, became a rock legend in the 1990s with his band, Nirvana, and was labelled "the spokesman of Generation X”. Cobain, indeed, was often uncomfortable and frustrated, believing his message and artistic vision could be misinterpreted by the public, showing difficulties coping with his fame and public image, and the professional and personal pressures surrounding him.

THE FRAGRANCE

For Black Powder, Julien Rasquinet has played with a leathery accord, as provocative, audacious and bohemian as the attitude of Kurt Cobain. The result is an intense, deep, sensual and mysterious scent.